Los Angeles Truck Injury Attorneys

It wouldn’t be wrong to count truck accidents among the most dangerous things taking place on the road. Trucks, whether they are 18-wheelers or pickup trucks, are many times heavier than the regular vehicles that families use for transportation. The momentum of these trucks on the roads is huge and when they hit another vehicle or a person on the road or sidewalk, the results are dreadful. Most law experts would agree that the law pertaining to truck accidents is lax in California and due to the involvement of many other factors to prove a party’s wrongful act, it becomes inescapable to contact an attorney for help.

The Ehline Law Firm PC stands ready to assist those that need legal representation and has won thousands of cases for our clients, recovering millions. Call us for a free consultation at 888.400.9721.

Ehline Law Firm PC - Truck Accidents Law Firm in Los Angeles County and Beyond

Based in LA County, our firm has litigated many complicated cases, including truck caused personal injuries. Our professionals are second to none and have the experience to win the maximum compensation under the law. We will assist across the state.

Understanding Semi Truck Regulations

Semi truck laws and regulations are often based upon California and US codes and statutory laws specifically relating to trucks, including 18 wheelers. Many of these truck are enforced by the Department of Transportation, the Public Utilities Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security, and in some cases by the the LA City Council.

These regulations decide how much a fully laden commercial truck may weigh, who may drive big rig trucks, how many hours an operator can operate a truck before pulling over for a nap, and the type of training. When these are violated, injured victims often seek advice of experts in negligence law. The violations of these man made laws often are the legal cause of the accidents.

How Common Truck Accidents Take Place

No matter how heavy and big, trucks are also vehicles on the roads and can have accidents like other vehicles too. However, the reasons for accidents of different vehicles can be different. A truck driver might be driving under the influence, might not be fully trained to drive a truck or could have lost control on the truck for some reason. Slippery roads, over-speeding, reduced visibility are other common causes of truck accidents. On many occasions the truck drivers might put the lives of other drivers at risk for meeting their deadlines of reaching a particular destination.

Then there are other reasons that are more natural and a driver is unaware of them. For example, it might not be always the fault of the truck driver if the brakes fail on the way. It could be maintenance problem and many times the maintenance is in the hands of the company that privately owns the truck or another third party company.

The Many Different Types Of Truck Accidents

Regardless of the reason for a truck accident, they are extremely dangerous and on many occasions, fatal.

Here are the common truck accident types:

Under-Ride (when vehicles coming from behind travel under the truck from the back)

Jackknife (brakes are applied and the trailer of the truck lashes out just like jackknife)

T-Bone

Unchecked Load (drivers must check the load on the truck at regular intervals)

Blowout of tires (when a tire bursts it is nearly impossible to control the speeding truck)

Failure of brakes

Rollovers (trucks must have tires with strong grip on the road because without it they can roll over even if traveling at just 5MPH)

Blind spots (areas that truck drivers aren’t able to see while driving)

These are the most common types of accidents with trucks and their results are always appalling since trucks are mostly found on bigger roads and highways where speeds are usually higher.

Some Steps a Greenhorn Should Take After a Truck Accident

If faced with injuries after an accident with an 18 wheeler, it is important to take the following steps:

Collect Evidence – Evidence that supports your version of events is vital in the courts. You or a party on your behalf must obtain names, addresses and phone numbers of witnesses, and get ID and insurance info of the defendant and trucking company he or she works for. It is important to get official proof of road conditions, the weather, time of day and pictures of the roadway itself. Photograph faulty road repairs, damaged asphalt, broken or missing traffic signals. It is always handy to keep a disposable camera around, but you could also use the iPhone or personal camera.

Obtain Copies of the Traffic Collision Investigation Report – Get the official copy from the police. If you find that it is a dunning type report, with factually false info, track down the officer and demand they correct the inconsistencies.

Never Admit Liability to Anyone – Abe Lincoln said it best: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Don’t be a dupe. Keep your mouth shut. Your not an expert. Don’t hurt your case by making assumptions that you are not sure about.

Some Injuries Are Not So Obvious

Anyone that has been involved in a crash knows the adrenaline levels spike and block immediate sensation of pain. You can see stars and not realize that you have a severe head injury, ruptured spine, or hairline fractures. These are parts of the fight or flight response. When running around after an accident, police or onlookers could believe that the victim sustained no major injuries.

It would be better to wait to move around until seeing a medical professional. A victim can hurt their own case even when injured. Defendants always argue it was a latent injury and that you are faking it. Making sure that an attorney helps you build your case is a vital part of recovery. Let them do the worrying– you have enough on your plate already.

Parties That Can Be Held Responsible For Truck Accidents

In truck accidents it is extremely important to investigate the matters first. It must be found out what the actual and main cause of the accident was. Once the major cause of the accident has been found out, a certain party can be held responsible for the accident.

Truck Driver: In most cases, the truck driver is held responsible for the accident because he has the control of the vehicle in his hand. This irresponsible behavior, or “negligence,” is mostly the cause of truck accidents in this country.

The Company: The company that has hired the driver is also held responsible for these accidents when the past record of the driver shows that he’s been negligent at driving in the past too. The company is brought sued because the driver must not have been hired in the first place.

The Repairing Company: If the accident was caused due to failure of brakes or other components on the truck, the repairing and maintenance contractors are held responsible.

Governments: Governments and local ruling bodies can also be sued when they haven’t done their job properly i.e. missed out on putting the right signs on the road or not repairing bad road conditions.

Manufacturers of Vehicles: Manufacturers are held responsible when the construction of the vehicle or any of its components is found to be faulty.

Others: People driving recklessly on the road and becoming the first cause of accidents can also be sued.

These things are investigated and scrutinized by your attorneys and their teams. Your job is only to contact a reliable law firm like Ehline Law for help on time.

What Can You Be Compensated For?

Every damage done to you, small or big, can be compensated. The obvious injuries need obvious compensations but there are other injuries and impacts of such accidents on your life that you might not see at the spot. It is the job of your attorney to take everything into account and build a case strong enough to get compensation for every loss and damage done to you as a result of the truck accident.

It is highly recommended that you let your attorney do the assessment work and find out what damages have been incurred due to the accident rather than making your own assumptions. A statement that sounds completely harmless to you could damage your case entirely and put your compensation at risk.

Here are the damages and losses that you can get the compensation for:

Loss of wages and earnings, at present and in future

Mental anguish, suffering and pain due to the accident and injuries

Reduction in income resulting from effects on your working capacities due to injuries

Expenses on your medical treatment at the hospital and that you might need permanently

Whether you are able to get any of these compensations or not depends on your choice of your legal representative – your personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles.

“Contingency Fee” Means No Recovery No Fee

When faced with such a severe injury, our jurists aim to get you the maximum recovery possible, including for both general and special claims. We work with our specialized professionalism and cover all fees and costs up front. We don’t charge you a cent unless we win as per our contingency fee.

Ehline Law Will Represent Your Los Angeles Truck Accident Case

It’s not easy to know who to hold responsible for the accident and how to prove the fault of the negligent party unless the right attorneys are standing on your side. With more than 30 years of experience, Ehline Law attorneys have known the ins and outs of truck and other vehicle accident cases. They have been serving Los Angeles and entire California for decades to know just about enough to fight these cases successfully. If you or someone you love has lost a lot due to a truck accident, let Ehline Law professionals obtain your fully deserved right and compensation. Call us today at 1-888-400-9721.

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